


Calming Flame

by PL_Panda



Series: Damigami [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Childhood Friends, Damigami, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PL_Panda/pseuds/PL_Panda
Summary: Damian Wayne almost froze to death during one of his Grandfather's tests. The thing that saved him was finding a friend. A strange girl that rested near the fire.
Relationships: Kagami Tsurugi/Damian Wayne
Series: Damigami [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1961416
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	Calming Flame

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [(Stay) to Watch Me Burn](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27025105) by [EthelPhantom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EthelPhantom/pseuds/EthelPhantom). 



> Yet another part of mine and @ethelphantom exchange. For every sad Constagami she writes I make a fluffy Damigami

Calming flame

A small child slowly climbed up the mountain. They couldn’t have been older than six. Their clothes were not suited for the cold. While the cloak provided a minimal shield from the winds, the black metal armor only doubled the loss of heat. Their black hair was now drenched and partially frozen because of the snow that fell on him. There was nothing resembling his grandfather anymore, except maybe the emerald-green eyes.

Finally, the child found a crack between the rocks, where he could hide. Their brain, too tired from the cold, did not even notice the small amount of light coming from the hole or that it quickly widened into a large cave. They just wanted to rest for a bit. Inside, they found a small girl, maybe their age. She was curled next to a fire that seemed to be burning without any visible fuel. The most prominent detail about her was that she was naked. Damian was too exhausted to care. He dropped the upper part of the armor as he mindlessly walked toward the heat. Staying only in a black linen shirt, he curled next to the girl. Just before he fell asleep, he pulled the heat he was feeling closer. The fact it was a girl completely escaped his mind.

The next morning, he woke up to the sight of a pair of intense amber eyes. It took his still tired mind a few seconds to realize that he is not alone. Quickly, he jumped back and took a battle-ready stance.

“Hi.” The girl greeted him. Her voice sounded almost emotionless, but Damian could hear a bit of cheer in there.

“Who are you?” He asked suspiciously.

“I am Kagami. It is my pleasure to meet you.” She bowed her head lightly. Her speech was a bit strange, much like her voice, it was devoid of most traces of personality. 

“Damian. Damian Al Ghul.” He introduced himself. His grandfather made sure to instill in him good manners in all situations. 

“Are you here to be my friend?” She asked.

“I don’t need friends. I will become the Head of the Demon one day. Grandfather said I don’t need friends.”

The girl lowered her head in sadness. “I think everyone needs a friend… I know I do.”

For some reason, Damian felt a pang of guilt. He realized that he did owe her his life. If not for the fire and heat she gave, he would’ve frozen somewhere on the side of this mountain. Thinking quickly, he walked over to where he dropped his cape and picked it up. He did not put it on, instead covering the girl with it.

“Tt. Fine. I can be your friend.” He gave her a weak, forced smile.

Kagami also tried to smile, but it came out as an awkward barring teeth. “We are friends?”

“Yes. I already said that.” He snapped. Immediately, Kagami lowered her head and smile disappeared.

“Please, forgive me if I offended you in any way.” She said in voice that was almost… submissive.

“Tt. It was my fault that I snapped at you. Please do not take it against me.”

Immediately, the smile returned to his companion. She grabbed his hand and he could feel a small burning sensation. When the girl let go, the back of his hand now spotted a symbol of a dragon curling around a kanji symbol that he couldn’t yet recognize. 

“What…” He tried to ask but she interrupted him.

“You are now my friend.”

“Tt. Is that normal?”

“I don’t know. I never had a friend before”

“Ooookaaay…” He said slowly. “Please forgive my haste departure, but I’m still in need of returning to my grandfather’s compound.” He said and shivered at the thought of even more climbing through the cold. 

“Oh…” She looked dejected, but then she nodded. Damian felt his head spin and blackness enveloped him. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was directly on the road leading to the compound. Just turn left at the next split and he would be ‘home’. 

_ Was this all a dream?  _ He checked his hand, but the mark was still there. He wasn’t sure what the mark was, but his instincts told him to hide it from his grandfather. He put on his gloves back and walked back to his old life. He never managed to forget that meeting. Any time he looked at his hand, he remembered. 

\----------

It’s been ten years. To the day. Damian secretly marked that date. Every year, for four years at his grandfather’s compound and then five years with his Father, he snuck out to the rooftop and lit a small flame. He had no idea why, but there was this feeling inside him that told him this was the right thing to do. That the flame connected him. Maybe it was just the memory of the heat that saved him that day. 

Damian made his way to the secluded place on the manor grounds. The smoke could attract unwanted attention, but he long since solved it by using a special mix of herbs that gave minimal smoke. And the flame itself was also small. 

When he ignited it, Damian took a seat on the wet ground and relaxed near the heat. He pulled off the glove and watched the mark. Sometimes, the flame made it look like it moved. This time, the fire did not give him a feeling of safety. There was something foreign, strange, corrupted. It felt much like Lazarus pit, but both stronger and weaker. 

Inside the flame, an image formed. The Eiffel tower. At the same time, Damian felt a wave of anger and sadness hit him. He had no idea what that meant, but the message was clear. His friend needed him in Paris. 

Convincing father to let him visit Paris for a week was a child’s play. A simple mention of weariness caused by all the vigilante work and he was free for two weeks. Nobody wanted him to end up like Drake. Less than twelve hours after the vision he was getting out at the Parisian airport. He did not expect to meet his friend there, nor at the hotel. He could’ve reserved a room at the most exclusive place in all of Paris, but it would be all over the media and that was the last thing he needed. Instead, he chose to rent a room from a woman on the boat, Anarka Couffaine. There, he didn’t need to worry about anything and the boat could easily relocate. 

Of course, there was also the problem of figuring out where his friend was. He would not light the flame again. The instincts told him it wouldn’t work. There was the mark. Hours of research into the symbol told him only that it meant ‘female’. Not a lot of clues from there. 

Damian was about to leave the boat for a rove Paris for a bit. There was a small sliver of hope that he would find her randomly there. He was about to leave when the son of his host noticed the mark. 

“Hey! Cool tattoo.” 

“Tt. It’s…”

“Kinda reminds me of Kagami’s crest.” He continued, almost ignoring the protest.

Damian felt his head spin. It couldn’t be that easy. That was too big of a coincidence. Then again, he came to Paris because he saw the Eiffel Tower in a small fire and felt sad. He quickly pocketed several knives and other weapons and returned to the boy. 

“How do you know Kagami?” He asked harshly.

“Whoa. There is no need for violence.” Luka made a step back. The boy’s song was suddenly harsh and heavy. 

“I will not repeat my question.”

“Chill. We are in the same class. Why?”

“She is an old friend of mine. I’ve been trying to find her.”

“Um… I can call her. I think I have her number.” He searched for a moment on his phone before pressing the green button. Damian noticed that it was his friend’s picture. After the third signal, an image appeared on the screen. 

“ _ What is… Damian?”  _ She asked surprised. 

“Um… You remember me?”

“ _ You are my friend. I remember my friends. _ ” She said and a small smile ghosted her otherwise emotionless face. 

“Would you perhaps… want to meet?” Damian asked awkwardly. He had no idea what came over him suddenly.

“Please, come to Collège Françoise Dupont.” She informed. “I am about to start my fencing classes.”

“I am on my way then. I eagerly await the opportunity to meet you.” He hanged up. 

“Whoa. Are you like… soulmates?” Luka asked with no small amount of amusement. “I would say you’re siblings, but you are not alike enough.”

“Tt. I don’t believe in this ‘soulmates’ nonsense. We are just two people with similar interests.”

“I’ve seen the number of weapons you have in your bag. Kagami seems to carry only slightly less.”

“My relation with Kagami is none of your business and I would appreciate it if you did not try to push. Otherwise, I will become increasingly unpleasant.” Damian threatened. He did not wait for any reaction. Instead, he just sat on his motorbike and left. Luka just shook his head and resumed playing the guitar. 

\------------

Damian arrived before that school when Fencing already commenced. He managed to enter undetected and stayed in the shadows, observing the training. Most of them were mediocre at best, but two students stood out. A girl in red and a boy in standard white. Damian’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the golden symbol on her right shoulder. It was the same as his mark. 

The fight ended with Kagami defeating the boy by a knick. Damian almost felt the pain of the jab himself. She was angry. He wanted to reveal himself just then, but Kagami stormed to the locker room, followed by a large group. His assassin’s instinct told him to observe more. He did not want witnesses. Slipping into the locker room, he once more hid in the shadows. Kagami left to change while the boys changed here. The angry boy that was defeated by her also changed, but while others left he waited. 

Damian’s instincts told him to be wary. His training marked him as a potential threat. The way he prowled suggested some training, rarely seen in schoolboys. The fact that he made almost no sound while walking and kept to the shadows were almost textbook stealth strategies. The fact that he controlled his breath to make almost no sound or that his body was tense in all the right places to spring into action at a moment’s notice was another. 

When Kagami returned changed, the blonde approached her. In his prowl, he was practically unnoticeable unless one knew he was there. Damian watched as he practically materialized behind her. Kagami did not jump in surprise, but when she turned she was already ready for battle. The assassin had to resist the urge to jump and protect his friend. From his position, he couldn’t hear what they were saying. If he tried to leave, they would almost surely spot him. As such, he could only wait and observe. 

Kagami was clearly agitated. Damian almost drew his knife, but instead pulled the collapsable sword. He wanted to be ready, just in case. People always took threats more seriously when they had a sword at their neck. 

When the girl tried to leave, the blond grabbed her wrist. This was enough for Damian to finally intervene. With one dash he closed the distance while his sword unfolded so by the time he got to them he was already holding the ninjato and was already pressing it to the neck of his enemy. He threatened Kagami. They were enemies. 

“Let. her. go.” He seethed.

Indeed, it was enough to scare the boy away. But not permanently. Damian had to admit the fact that his opponent drew a rapier without a safety tip surprised him for a moment. The fact that he was able to score a cut on his cheek was an unforgivable offense. He had no idea how long they fought, but at some point, everything turned black and when he opened his eyes, he was back at the cave. Sitting by the flame. Only now the cave was ten times bigger and there were piles of weapon everywhere. Swords, knives, bows, even guns. Everything. There was an entire section for toy weapons and another for what would be ceremonial armament. One shelf was filled with movie replicas. Everything was neatly ordered. Kagami was nowhere to be seen, but Damian could  _ feel _ her. She was there. 

“You came.” A voice came from above. When Damian looked, he saw a large dragon resting on the perch above. She was black and red, with some golden decoration forming an intricate pattern.

“Ka-Kagami?” He sputtered, unable to form any more words.

In a cloud of smoke, she disappeared, only for human Kagami to walk to him. The downside was that she was no longer dressed. Politely, Damian quickly averted the gaze while handing her his leather jacket. A moment later she told him it was safe to watch. He accepted when she led him to a table with three chairs. 

“I am a dragon.” She blurted to break the tense silence.

“I noticed. I must admit it was not something I expected, nor would I have ever guessed.”

More awkward silence.

“I like your weapon collection,” Damian said while looking around.

“It’s a tradition for dragons to gather their hoards. Gold is so overrated. My mother was obsessed with trophies with her name on them. I just stuck to the more common weapon hoard.”

“I really hope Todd doesn’t get here. He would have a field day and probably try to steal half of the guns.” 

“He can try.” There was a determined expression on her face. Damian immediately memorized her reaction.  _ No threatening her weapons hoard. _

Yet more awkward silence.

“Who was that blond ponce?” Damian inquired.

“Adrien Agreste. He was the first my mother allowed me to be friends with. She said that he would be good for me. She was wrong.”

“I had the urge to gut him.” The boy admitted.

“It was not his fault. His father keeps putting more and more pressure on him and the only time he can escape when he is supposed to be spending time with me. At first, it was fun, but then he started to just use me for convenient getaways. He only spoke when he needed something.” She frowned. “He was not a friend.”

“I am sorry. I did not speak with you either.”

“We spoke once a year. I always awaited those days.”

“So did I. I always felt… safe.”

The awkward silence reached its peak after that.

“So… how have you been through these years?” She asked. 

“I’ve moved to live with my father.” He answered shortly. 

“That is good. I never liked that man in the mountains. Mother spoke of him with only disdain. Apparently, they ran into each other too often for their liking.”

“What were you doing in that cave ten years ago?” He asked, looking into her eyes. 

“I ran away. My mother did not want me to play with others, so I hid from her. I wanted a friend.”

In response, Damian showed her the mark.

“Yes. We are friends.” The serious face on her expression made it sound like a simple fact. And maybe it was. Ten years was not enough for either to learn anything about friendship. Not on the level, they shared, almost able to read the other’s thoughts. Even if they didn’t realize it yet.

The silence was now less awkward and more of the comforting type. The kind of silence where they just enjoyed the situation and there was no need for words. 

Finally, Damian gathered his courage and decided to risk it. He would regret forever if he didn’t try. 

“Would you allow me, if your parents permit, to seek courting with you?” He asked, using all his bravery for that sentence.

“We are friends.” She stated confidently.

“That is okay if you do not wish to…” He was interrupted when she pulled him into a deep searing kiss.

“Friends.” She smiled.

_ Like boyfriend and girlfriend… _ Damian suddenly realized.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm now on DISCORD! I made my own writer's server that you're free to join if you want a convo with me or something :)   
> https://discord.gg/DrYhsWnh75


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